A horrific tanker explosion early Friday morning in Franklin on Interstate 65 killed a truck driver, caused major damage to two highway bridges and snarled traffic for miles around Williamson County.

The explosion of a tanker that struck an overpass support beam engulfed the Peytonsville Road bridge around 3:40 a.m.

The tanker was headed to Columbia from West Nashville with 9,000 gallons of gasoline when the wreck occurred, Franklin police said. The truck was driving at typical speeds, according to a Franklin Police Department release.

The driver's identity has not been released pending forensic test results.

Police temporarily closed I-65 in both directions from State Route 840 to Highway 96.

Franklin police spokesman Charles Warner called the scene of the explosion "truly horrific."

Local, state and federal crews were all dispatched to the scene of the wreck after crews extinguished the blaze in about half an hour, police said.

The interstate reopened around 6:20 a.m. but police forced traffic to exit at the site of the accident and re-enter the interstate to avoid traveling under the Peytonsville Road bridge. Traffic was also halted across the bridge due to safety concerns.

The accident was at the site of a $46.1 million state roads project to build a new Goose Creek Bypass exchange over the interstate. Damage caused by the tanker explosion will likely set back repair efforts for months, TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said Friday morning.

Vehicles traveling I-65 in both directions should expect "extremely significant delays," according to Franklin police. Drivers can use alternate routes like Columbia Avenue and Lewisburg Pike, although those will also be congested.

This is the second tanker explosion in the Nashville area in three days. Flames and smoke towered over The Nations neighborhood Wednesday when a tanker hauling 8,500 gallons of fuel tipped over and burst into flames.

Truck driver Eric Porterfield said the accident was a reminder of the job's risks. He as in the midst of his early morning commute into Nashville when he saw a plume of smoke rising into the darkness. As he drove closer, he saw flames shooting from a charred tanker. Fire towered high above the overpass.

"It was unbelievable," the Spring Hill man said. "I just pray for the driver's family," he said.

Staff writer Brian Wilson contributed to this report.

A fire burns on I-65 at Peytonsville Road following a tanker truck explosion during the early morning hours of Aug. 15, 2014. Franklin Police Department

Franklin Police open up I-65 southbound at 6:30am. A tanker truck crashed and caught fire under the Peytonsville Road bridge in Williamson County closing north and southbound lanes for several hours. Tom Stanford / The Tennessean

Traffic is stopped on Mack Hatcher Parkway in Franklin after a tanker truck crashed and caught fire in the southbound lane on I-65 directly under the Peytonsville Road bridge in Williamson County. Tom Stanford / The Tennessean

Traffic is stopped on Mack Hatcher Parkway in Franklin after a tanker truck crashed and caught fire in the southbound lane on I-65 directly under the Peytonsville Road bridge in Williamson County. Tom Stanford / The Tennessean

Officials and firefighters look over the remains of the tanker truck that burned on Interstate 65 near the Peytonsville bridge overpass on Friday Aug. 15, 2014, in Franklin in Tenn. John Partipilo / The Tennessean

Officials and firefighters look over the remains of the tanker truck that burned on Interstate 65 near the Peytonsville bridge overpass on Friday Aug. 15, 2014, in Franklin in Tenn. John Partipilo / The Tennessean